Above the horizon, Egg Egg's unique black flames still writhed and wriggled, but they were like defeated soldiers without a commander, bodies without souls — the terrifying aura from before was completely gone, leaving behind only gloom, helplessness, drifting and dissipating into the air.
However, right up until those black flames vanished entirely, Chu Feng still never caught another glimpse of Egg Egg. The girl seemed to have disappeared completely.
Standing there in the sky were only Murong Xun, Ya Fei, Murong Wan, and those two seventh-rank Martial Lord Spirit World Masters.
In that moment, Chu Feng felt as though his mind had gone completely blank, as if his heartbeat had stopped as well. For the first time in his life, he experienced what it truly meant to be utterly devoid of all hope.
Because he had formed a contract with Egg Egg, yet right now he could not sense her existence at all — there was not the faintest trace of connection remaining. That realization told him what had happened.
Pain — an indescribable heartache, so overwhelming that Chu Feng could barely endure it. His body trembled, and he lost every last shred of motivation to keep running. It was as though he had died in that very moment as well.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk — what a loyal servant sacrificing herself for her master. What a pity, though. The servant was quite formidable, but the master? Utterly useless."
A broad smirk hung on Murong Xun's lips. He was laughing with great delight, because all the frustration and fury he had been bottling up had finally been released. Yet even so, it was far from enough to satisfy him.
"Ya'er, Wan'er, go cripple him. Avenge Zhanfeng." Murong Xun ordered the two of them.
"Mm." Murong Wan did not hesitate for a single instant. She stepped through the air and headed toward Chu Feng. Without Egg Egg, that powerful Spirit World Master, she had absolutely nothing to fear from Chu Feng anymore.
What was more, Chu Feng at this moment seemed to have lost all will to fight — like a rotting fish standing there, waiting to be slaughtered at anyone's whim.
"Aren't you disgusting? How many times have I told you — don't call me Fei'er?" Yet, surprisingly, Ya Fei showed visible annoyance at the affectionate nickname Murong Xun had given her.
"Fei'er, sooner or later you'll be mine anyway. Why be like this?" Murong Xun furrowed his brow slightly, but he didn't get angry. Instead, there was a hint of grievance in his eyes.
"The future is never certain. Even if I marry you someday, that's a matter for the future. Right now, I'm not your woman," Ya Fei snapped. Then she turned her gaze toward Chu Feng, and a curved smirk finally crept onto her lips. "However, torturing this Chu Feng — now that, I'm quite willing to do."
With that, Ya Fei's slender figure darted forward, and she appeared before Chu Feng. She looked at Murong Wan, who stood before Chu Feng clutching a sharp dagger, and mocked, "What's the matter? Can't bear to strike?"
"Anyone who dares stand against my Zhuxian Archipelago — no matter who they are — I will show no mercy." Murong Wan let out a cold snort. As she spoke, the dagger in her hand plunged downward. With a squelch, it pierced into Chu Feng's chest, and a torrent of blood gushed out from the wound.
"But—" In that moment, Murong Wan, who had just dealt the cruel blow, felt her face change. She seemed shaken and couldn't help but take a step back.
Because after that stab, Chu Feng hadn't so much as let out a cry — he hadn't even furrowed his brow. His entire body showed no reaction to pain whatsoever. He simply stared with those vacant, lifeless eyes toward the spot where Egg Egg had been.
"Shoo, shoo, shoo — step aside. With your little tricks, you call that torture?" Ya Fei cast a contemptuous glance at Murong Wan, then curled her lips into a wicked smile. "Wuqing, I never thought you'd fall into my hands again, did you? Do you still remember the torment I put you through last time?"
To Ya Fei's words, Chu Feng showed no response at all, as though he hadn't heard a single word.
Seeing this, Ya Fei's delicate brows shot upward in fury, and she barked coldly, "Don't tell me you think I'm afraid of that illusion and won't dare touch you? Let me make this clear — this lady fears nothing and no one. Whoever crosses me, I'll make sure they die."
With that, Ya Fei's wrist flickered, and that half-finished King Weapon appeared in her hand. Then she swung it violently, and with a crack, Chu Feng's entire left arm was sliced clean off.
Yet even so, Chu Feng hadn't so much as twitched a brow, as though he could no longer feel pain at all.
"You're quite the stoic. But I'm determined to find out just how long you can hold out." Enraged by Chu Feng's complete indifference, Ya Fei gripped the half-finished King Weapon and began driving it into his body, strike after strike.
Every thrust tore through skin, pierced through muscle, and even severed sinew and bone, ultimately punching clean through.
After several stabs, Chu Feng's clothes were soaked through, drenched in blood. He had become a crimson figure, his body pierced like a sieve — and yet his expression had not changed even slightly. His gaze remained fixed on the spot where Egg Egg had vanished, and he hadn't so much as blinked.
"Well, well — not a single sound out of you. But I'd love to see whether you can stay this composed in the very moment of your death."
Ya Fei was so furious she was gnashing her teeth. She hated Chu Feng deeply, because he was the first person to truly make her suffer a significant loss. Her resentment toward him had been building for a long time, and only his torture could vent her rage.
But when, despite such cruel suffering, Chu Feng showed absolutely no reaction, her anger clearly had no outlet. In times like these, ending his life was what she wanted most.
"Wait." Just as Ya Fei raised her sword, ready to cleave Chu Feng in two, Murong Xun suddenly called out. He walked up to Chu Feng and said to Ya Fei, "Killing him now would be letting him off far too easily."
Though reluctant, Ya Fei stepped aside, because she knew that when it came to torturing people, Murong Xun was absolutely more skilled than she was.
"Wuqing, that must hurt, right? A beauty like that — dead because of you."
"I can tell you cared for her. But can you blame anyone? A beauty like that — who wouldn't? I imagine you only loved her for her looks and her strength, didn't you?"
Murong Xun grinned smugly. As he spoke, he deliberately lowered his voice and leaned in close to Chu Feng's ear. "Honestly, the moment I first laid eyes on her, I wanted to conquer her — make her my personal pet, right between my legs, so I could toy with her and degrade her as I pleased."
"Ahhhhh~ that girl had a wonderful figure, and her face was simply gorgeous. To be honest, she stirred me more than my own fiancée, Ya Fei."
"If I could have wrapped my arms around a beauty like that and done whatever I wished — that would truly be one of life's greatest pleasures. What a pity she's already dead."
"Oh, and one more thing — a pretty girl like that, did you ever touch her? I'm guessing not. She wouldn't even look at me, so someone as worthless as you — how could you possibly deserve her? Hahaha…"
As he delivered these words, Murong Xun wore a smile the entire time — a thoroughly shameless one. He wanted to wound Chu Feng this way, to dig into the deepest agony buried in his heart and make him suffer beyond endurance.
"I'LL DEVOUR YOU!!!" But in that very instant, Chu Feng — who had been silent for so long — suddenly let out a thunderous roar. At the same time, he wrenched his mouth wide open, revealing two rows of perfectly even teeth, and lunged straight at Murong Xun with a savage bite.
"AHHH~~~~~~" Caught completely off guard, Murong Xun let out a piercing scream, because that single bite had torn a massive chunk of flesh clean off his face.